President William Ruto is expected to lead title deed distribution during his six-county Coast tour.
The six-county tour begins on Saturday, with land ownership documents and a planned Sh2.2 trillion refinery among the government’s development priorities.
President William Ruto is expected to distribute 189,439 title deeds during a development tour of the Coast region beginning on Saturday, alongside a planned groundbreaking ceremony for the Sh2.2 trillion East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
The visit will take him to Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu. His programme includes inspecting government projects under construction, commissioning completed works and launching new developments.
State House says the tour will begin in Taita-Taveta, where beneficiaries in Mwatate and Voi constituencies are scheduled to receive 31,318 title deeds.
Title deeds across six counties
Ruto is then expected in Kwale on Monday, with 94,175 title deeds earmarked for residents of Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies. Kwale accounts for the largest share of the documents scheduled for distribution during the tour.
In Kilifi, the programme targets 36,826 beneficiaries in Kaloleni, Rabai, Ganze, Kilifi South and Malindi constituencies. Another 4,360 title deeds are planned for Mombasa, while Lamu and Tana River will together receive 22,770.
The distribution forms part of a broader government target to issue 500,000 land ownership documents in the Coast region, where longstanding squatter and land ownership disputes remain a development concern.
The government intends the documents to provide beneficiaries with greater certainty over ownership and support more productive economic use of their land. The programme also seeks to address historical land administration challenges affecting communities that have waited years for formal documentation.
Lamu refinery groundbreaking planned
A major event on the itinerary is the September 30 groundbreaking for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu. The project is backed by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote and other partners.
The planned ceremony follows recent discussions involving Ruto, Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation chief executive Samaila Zubairu on financing and preparations for the development.
The refinery is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day and supply petroleum markets in East and Central Africa. Project cost estimates range from $15 billion to $17 billion, with the Kenyan government commonly putting the investment at about Sh2.2 trillion, or $17 billion.
The facility is also expected to process crude from Kenya’s Turkana oil fields as the country develops its petroleum industry. It is envisaged as part of a wider energy and industrial hub around Lamu Port and the LAPSSET corridor.
Government sets out economic expectations
The government says the refinery could improve regional energy security, support industrial development and open up employment and business opportunities in Lamu and the wider Coast region.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said the project could generate more than 60,000 jobs. Preparations for the September 30 ceremony have been underway in Lamu, although the refinery remains a proposed development.
Beyond the land documentation programme and refinery launch, Ruto is expected to review the progress of government programmes across the six counties and engage residents and local leaders on development priorities.
The government has framed the tour as a combination of efforts to resolve longstanding land ownership challenges and advance infrastructure, energy and other development projects along the Coast.
